Column: Daily life in a great community

If your daily life keeps you mostly in the nicer parts of Prescott, you could hardly find a more pleasant place to carry out the day-to-day of life, could you?

A recent day emphasized that. I had to be in town early and skipped breakfast, so when I could I went to a diner that has on open patio right on the creek, with all its greenery, and bicyclists and people strolling with their dogs.

Then a couple more stops to make around town, never with any traffic, never far to park. In the afternoon I went to the courthouse to pull some records. Parked right by it, walked across the lawn under the trees, watching the picnickers and the Frisbee players. Entered into that nice, old stone and wood building.

Then a stop at my bank, a block off the square, with people who know me and are pleasant to deal with. The same is true of the numerous local shops and businesses I deal with.

If my day ends early I’ll go to one of the trailheads and go for a hike. These days one that’s under the trees, in the green shade. Most of them have spots with wonderful views.

If your day does take you out on Highway 69, if you come back down Prescott Lakes Parkway you get one of the best views anywhere. So varied, with Granite Mountain, the red rocks of the Dells, the lake, some green hills, the town, Lonesome Valley.

What do I mean by, “the nicer parts of Prescott?” Well, some parts are not my favorite; out towards the airport, or the retail strip along Highway 69. Nothing wrong with them, just not the charm of the areas closer to downtown, or the parts south, in the hills and forest. You could hardly find more likable neighborhoods. Not cheap though. Man, not cheap.

The whole region, of course, being exceptionally safe thanks to our police and fire workers.

We’re famous as a retirement community, but I wonder if that makes sense for some. If you’re a home body, or if your taste in outings runs more to the retail chains along 69, missing out on the many, likable local spots, you don’t get much out of being here.

It’s being involved in things that keep you active around town that keeps you aware of it being a pleasant place. It’s all the human connections of a small town. That some other parents where your kids went to school have opened a new business, or that at art or social events you run into people on your civic committee, or you connect with some local again years later at the continuing education classes, or you see them when you’re visiting at the hospital and find they’re at a point where they could use a little support, or maybe you need the support.

It’s the combination of the many ways people overlap in a small population — that is the small population of people active in town — and the many pleasant aspects of the area as a place to carry out all that day-to-day living, that make it a pretty damn nice place to be. Don’t you think?

If I see you at my favorite pub, we can raise a glass to committing to keeping it that way.

Tom Cantlon is a local business owner and writer and can be reached at comments at www.tomcantlon.com.